WHALE SHARK, MARLIN, AND PORPOISE SPOTTED
DURING BAJA FISHING TRIP AT EAST CAPE

June 11, 2005, Russ Fritz, La Ribera, East Cape fishing, Mexico:

I only fished on Wednesday this past week, and Forrest Gump was really right: "Fishing is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you'll get."

First thing in the morning, we drove directly over a 40-foot whale shark who was about 3 feet below the surface, and only a mile off La Ribera. What truly amazing creatures they are. We circled slowly and watched his (her?) slow fluid motion for awhile. About 3 miles further out, we came upon a pod of sperm whales. There were 14 in the group, all swimming very close together, and headed east southeast. A second pod of 8, was about 2 miles further north, headed in the same direction.

We finally went fishing, found a number of marlin, all of which were not interested in lures, live bait, or rigged ballyhoo.

Next, we found a large school of the black and white porpoise, obviously feeding, but the tuna below wouldn't go on anything. Six to 8 East Cape fishing boats tried in frustration, but nobody took a fish from that school when we were there.

East Cape inshore fishing water remains coldish, about 71 degrees, and only 76 offshore. The "radio fish" were all north by Punta Pescador and up to 10 miles out.

Steve Susick, "Dos", from Baja Joe's at La Ventana, has been on top of the wahoo bite at Isla Cerralvo. Yesterday he fished with Brad Meister of San Clemente, and Brad's brother-in-law, Kevin Ferguson, from Beaverton, Ore., and they had a double on the whoos, 50 and 30 pounders. Dos has gotten 13 in the past 4 days for his friends. He's Mr. Whoo in my book.